Chapter 139: No one knows what will happen in the future
Qin Tian had just walked down the stairs and before she reached the last few steps, someone had already grabbed her by the waist and hugged her in his arms. His refreshing fragrance surrounded her and he kissed her lips.
"Morning." His voice was as fresh as his scent.
He took a deep breath, nuzzled his nose against her neck, kissed her neck again, and walked towards the dining table with his arm around her.
The excessive intimacy early in the morning left Qin Tian a little confused. This was completely different from what she had imagined. So... were they really establishing a new relationship?
Tong Zhongyuan was so excited he couldn't sleep last night, and then something flashed through his mind. He'd returned to England to relocate his studio to Hong Kong. His plan was for him and Qin Tian to have a two-year long-distance relationship, and once business was stable, he could settle down in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Last night, he suddenly realized that might not work.
He lay in bed counting the time. He had only been apart from her for two hours, but he was already thinking about her. He wanted to see her, kiss her, and hold her to sleep. He knew that passion would fade with time, but he was afraid that it would not fade to the extent that he could only see her once every few months. However, going to Hong Kong to open a studio was his bottom line and the only option. He could not choose to work at Shanghai Bo, working from nine to five, and receiving a meager salary. Love cannot exist without bread. He knew that Qin Tian would never give up Shanghai Bo to follow him. Is it possible to get Ming Yuanxing to agree to let her take a two-year unpaid leave, or send her to the UK to study for two years, or even just one year?
The morning after establishing a relationship wasn't the right time for a serious discussion; he just wanted to test the waters.
"Did you sleep well?"
He sat beside her while she was eating bread. He propped his chin on his hand, touched her face, and tucked the loose hair behind her ear.
Qin Tian had long noticed that Tong Zhongyuan loved physical contact, with plenty of subtle gestures. When they first met him, he seemed to have a protective shield, making it difficult to get close to him. Now, his aloof and aloof image in England was fading, and the present him was gradually resembling the childhood version of him he remembered.
"Very good." She said indifferently. Anyway, he would never know that she had been thinking about his lips, his breath, and his hot embrace yesterday. "What about you?"
"Me?" He lay on the table, resting his head on his arm, and said lazily, "I can't sleep. I've been thinking about you."
She warned herself that from now on she should quickly become immune to his sweet talk and stop blushing easily. He was just teasing her on purpose, wanting to see her at a loss.
She imitated him, resting her head on her arm and looking at him: "What are you missing about me that can't sleep?"
There was a smile in his eyes. He lowered his eyes, picked up a grape and put it to her mouth, saying lazily, "You don't want to know."
Qin Tian bit the grape, it was very sweet. Don't be afraid of him, he is just a paper tiger, she didn't believe that such a dignified man would say such inappropriate words. She raised her eyebrows: "Tell me about it. Maybe I want to know."
He laughed, stretched out his arms and pulled her towards him, holding her face and kissing her.
"Why are you so cute?"
She felt itchy from his kiss. There were stars in his eyes, and he smelled so good. She knew he wouldn't say anything out of line, but his actions made her blush even more.
He kissed her eyes. The sky had cleared up, as if the rain had drained all the water from the sky last night. A bright morning, golden sunlight, sweet kisses. She was sweeter than jam. He just wanted to keep kissing her like this forever.
"Will you come back with me?" He pecked her lips gently, and spoke out what was in his heart without his brain's control.
Nothing had changed, but the airflow had. She opened her eyes, still the same beautiful ones, but he saw something different.
"Back to where? England?"
He paused in the kiss, still holding her face. Now that he had said it, there was no reason to regret it. He said slowly, "It's only temporary. I plan to go back and close my studio in London, and then open one in Hong Kong. This process will take time. I don't want to be separated from you."
His gaze lingered on her. He explained clearly and promptly. But the thing he'd worried about didn't disappear from her eyes; instead, a new emotion took over. She avoided his gaze.
Qin Tian couldn't see the expression on her face; she wasn't good at managing it. It wasn't that she was trying to avoid the topic; it was just too much of a shock. Before yesterday, she hadn't even thought about being with Tong Zhongyuan. Even this morning, she'd just assumed he'd kissed her on impulse. She'd heard every word he said, but she couldn't process it.
She loved him, but she hadn't considered going to England with him, nor had she considered asking him to stay. Was he closing his studio because of her? Was he opening one in Hong Kong because of her? Would he go to Hong Kong in the future? What would happen to his job? What would happen to his family? The amount of information he gave her was too much for her to handle.
"Tong Zhongyuan." She called out his name, but she didn't know what would be a better opening line.
"Um."
He had a feeling that he would not like what she was going to say next.
"What you just said, I think it's maybe a little early to discuss now. We have just started dating, and no one knows what will happen in the future..." She swallowed the last few words.
He let her go and smiled. He sat back in his seat, tapping his fingers on the table unconsciously, and smiled again. His premonition was so accurate, why was it so accurate? His eyes swept across her face, with a hint of mockery.
"I didn't know that dating is popular in China now."
She remained silent. She could tell he was unhappy. On the morning after such a simple birthday, she had already made him unhappy.
She was in love, rushing from Jiangyong to Fuliang to find him. She knew what this meant, and what would happen. But this time, she wasn't 22 anymore, she wasn't the same person she'd been eight years ago. Just because you liked someone, you couldn't assume it would last forever. She couldn't just jump in and follow him to England because of a kiss. She didn't want him to close the studio without even discussing it with her. What if he regretted it? What if they broke up? What if he returned to England and realized his love for her was just a cocooning effect? How would she handle that? She hadn't even prepared for her own life, so how could she promise anything about the future?
Tong Zhongyuan left the table. The sink tap turned on, and cold water washed over his hands. Don't make the same mistake again. Don't mess it up again.
She was right. He hadn't originally planned to discuss future plans right now. But her words made him very uncomfortable, extremely uncomfortable. Especially those few words she swallowed - "". He knew that she liked him, but he realized that the extent of her love was just this. It was a date stage that didn't require commitment, didn't have expectations, and only had uncertainty. Did she really know the meaning of a date? A date meant that they weren't in a one-to-one relationship yet, and what they did last night, they could do with others.
She turned her back to him, listening to the sound of the water. She didn't want to be like this. Just before this topic was brought up, they were still happy.
"Tong Zhongyuan."
He turned around, dried his hands, and looked at her silently, waiting for her to speak.
"I said the wrong thing. It wasn't about date. It was... I like you. I really like you. But, I'm not ready for the future yet. I've never thought about what you just said, but starting today I will think about it seriously. Can you give me some time?"
The coffee pot gurgled, its burnt aroma filling the room. It didn't matter what she said; what mattered was that she'd arrived on his birthday. Before yesterday, he hadn't even known where she was, and now, at this very moment, she was here, beside him. They were intimate, hugging and kissing. Even if they were actually on a date, he was the only person she was with. Enough, enough now.
He walked towards her, put his hands through her hair and lifted her face, placing a kiss on her forehead, a gentle whisper permeating her lips.
"How long will it take? How much time are you given?"
She raised her face and kissed his lips lightly in answer.
His body reacted faster than he did, and he slowly held her tighter, responded to her, and gave it to her.
The sound of the wind through the trees lingered like windchimes. Sunlight streamed through the glass house, shimmering brightly. Their lips met, and they embraced and kissed. It was a long, endless kiss, like a river flowing through the mountains.
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